Hokori
by Jujulica
Summary: Long before Gaara's tale, there was another who was the "container" for the Shukaku. But whom would ever care for one who would kill without a second thought? DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1

**:-:-:-:****Chapter One****:-:-:-:**

**:-:-:****Paradoxy****:-:-**

"Again!" Kirai demanded. "Stand! Now!"

Saikou did not respond. She laid on the floor, a bubble of blood building up next to her mouth. It burst, dyeing her once-white collar red. Kirai glared at her motionless corpse. Her father clenched the armrests of his chair. The woman beside him crinkled her nose in disgust and lifted the skirt of her kimono.

"Kirai! That is enough! Saikou-sensei is dead. You've killed her." he snapped. He relaxed. "Very good."

Kirai turned to face her father. Taiki's face was young-looking, but his eyes were like those of one who has seen a century rise and fall. They held a disturbing satirical gleam. He was the one who had ordered this contest. Saikou had been training Kirai for three weeks now. Boredom had given Taiki enough of a reason to pit teacher against student.

"You dare tell me what to do?" Kirai said in a dangerously soft voice. "Might I remind you I can do the same exact thing to you if it was my wish?"

"Ojo-san..." the woman stammered. She composed her face, and straightened. "Ojo-san. Do not speak to your father that way." she repeated.

"And you." Kirai vociferated, keeping her gaze locked on her father. "You shut up as well. I am growing tired of the sound of your voice."

Michiko flinched, and stepped back cowedly, which drew Kirai's attention to her, like a snake following it's helpless prey. If looks could kill, she would already be dead in a most horrible way right now.

"Taiki-sama, _please_." she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from Kirai's vehement stare. She wasn't entirely sure what she was begging him to do, but she felt it must be done quickly, or Kirai would put an end to her with another glance.

Taiki stood. The heavy ornaments adorning his robe clinked against each other ominously.

"Kirai. Stop this nonsense. You are done for today. Leave us." he commanded.

Kirai lifted the pot in her arms. She picked up the cork that lay on the floor by Saikou's feet, and placed it back inside the hole atop the jar. She looked indifferently at Taiki.

"As you wish." his daughter said calmly.

Kirai left the room without another word.

Michiko realized she hadn't been breathing and took a deep breath.

"Taiki-sama, your daughter is frightening." she said unhappily. "And another instructor is dead. We just do not have enough money to hire many more of these," she paused to kick Saikou's head lightly, "little amusements."

Taiki glanced at his wife thoughtfully.

Michiko was the most recent of his ten wives. She was quite vain, and loved to adorn herself with dozens of golden pieces of jewelry. Some were even woven into her long black hair. Michiko was the eldest daughter of the daimyo of Wind Country, which meant immense riches from his father-in-law. Her worries about money were ridiculous. She was only trying to make him focus on her again.

"Very well," he said in amusement. "This is the last. For now. Kirai is strong enough, I suppose."

Michiko gave him an adoring smile and adjusted some of the ornaments in her hair smugly. She would have liked to rid herself of Kirai completely, but for now, this would have to be it. She would only have to see her at meals now, and even that could be avoided if she took care.

Michiko placed her hand on Taiki's.

'_Someday_ I shall have you all to myself, with no interference from that stupid girl.' she thought yearningly.

A quiet cough alerted her of another person's presence. She looked towards the entrance.

"Ah. Seirei-chan. What is it?" Michiko asked warmly.

She had favored Kirai's elder sister since the day she had met her. Most did. Seirei looked like Kirai's almost complete opposite. Instead of being bone-thin, she was average, with slightly tanned skin instead of being pale as death. Her eyes shone a miraculous, healing jade colour inherited from her father.

Seirei was the daughter of Taiki's first wife, Mingmei, who, although foreign, he had loved deeply. Kirai was the daughter of Mingmei's sister, Sun, who had been Taiki's second wife, but he had hated her because she resembled Mingmei. Seirei also resembled her mother greatly.

Now, Taiki forced himself to look at his first daughter.

"What do you want?" he asked coolly. "I'm rather tired, so make it quick."

Seirei bowed apologetically. "I'm sorry, oto-sama. I only wished to know, where is Kirai-chan? She is not in her room."

Taiki pounded his forehead into his palm.

"Damn that impudent brat!" he muttered. He stood once more.

"I will send a squad out to find her. She's not in the best of moods, and if we don't bring her back before someone sees her..." he trailed off.

Seirei bowed again. "Oto-sama...please, might I search for her first?" she said pleadingly. "If you were to send shinobi after her, the only thing that could result is blood between the two."

Michiko tugged on his arm. "Let her find the girl. Maybe she can bring her back calmly."

Taiki sighed in defeat, and sat down. "Very well. Do it quickly, Seirei."

Seirei bowed one last time and left the room through a different door, one that led outside. The moon shone brilliantly for a split second, then she had shoved it closed.

'Sometimes,' Taiki thought, 'I wonder who is really Kazekage.'

Michiko leaned on his shoulder. "Taiki-sama...we're alone..." she murmured.

Taiki shrugged her off of him. "I am tired, Michiko. I will see you in the morning." With that, he retreated out of the room as well, to his own chamber.

Michiko folded her arms crossly. 'I'm his wife. Shouldn't we be spending a little more time together?'

She walked across the room to reach the vast tapestry that indicated the kanji for Wind Country. She traced her hand across it, and plucked out a few of the strands with her fingernails.

Taiki's and Michiko's was no romantic love story, no tragedy or triumph. It was simply a mixture of two things: Taiki needed money, and Michiko wanted stature. Being the daughter of the daimyo ment riches, but not fame. It helped, of course, that Taiki was a handsome man. The mixture had gotten him five of his ten brides.

Not that Michiko had any trouble ensnaring men herself. The pull of wealth and power, along with her own statuesque face, drew in males like moths to a flame.

'It's because of that stupid girl. She occupies his mind more than I do.' she thought, scratching a few more lines into the weaving.

"Michiko-hime, I do not think you should be doing that...what if the banner were to fall apart?" a voice said from the doorway.

Michiko jumped slightly. A seventeen-year-old clad in ANBU uniform, leaning against the doorway, met her eyes. His light brown hair was ruffled, as if he had just woken up, but his eyes were wide awake.

"Haruki-kun! Don't scare me like that!" she said.

Haruki smiled. "I apologize, Michiko-hime."

Michiko smiled back. An idea was slowly forming in her mind. She ran her fingers through her hair and turned her back to the ANBU. She pulled out some of the golden ornaments that hung there, and unbraided a few strands.

Michiko beckoned to him, and he stepped towards her, trying not to look eager. She ran one snow white finger down his cheek before embracing him.

"I feel safe when you're around...I've wondered since I came here...do you think I'm pretty?" she cooed.

Haruki fell for it. Hard.

"Of course I do, Michiko-hime...you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen!" he breathed, hugging her tightly.

Michiko choked back laughter with her head on his shoulder.

'I was expecting more resistance...well, he _is_ still a teenager, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.' she thought.

She pushed him back slightly, hands on his shoulders.

"Do you love me?" she asked in a soft voice.

Haruki gulped. "Yes. I love you, Michiko-hime..."

"If you love me, Haruki-kun...would you mind doing me a favor?..."

Haruki raised an eyebrow. "What do you wish me to do, Michiko-hime?"

She whispered her instructions to him in his ear.

"In one week, on the brat's birthday, I want you to kill Kirai-ojo-san."

Haruki let go of her and stepped back. "B-but, Michiko-hime! She's too strong, even for me! You would have a better chance of success if you had an entire squad attempt this."

Michiko kissed his cheek tenderly. He blinked in surprise.

"But, Haruki-kun...I know you can do it..." she said, taking his hand. "Get rid of her for me. I don't care who you kill in the process. But have it done."

She kissed him on the lips this time, then let go and stalked off around him towards her room.

"I'm counting on you, Haruki-kun..."

She closed the door, leaving Haruki to ponder the impossible task set before him.

:-:

Seirei shivered slightly. The air was chilled from the upcoming winter months, and the material she wore was light. She pulled her long, dark hair around her like a cloak, but it provided no protection. She laughed quietly at herself.

'How could I be worried? Kirai-chan is right where she always goes.' she thought fondly.

Her younger half-sister was sitting on the roof of her room, where she had climbed to from her window. Her short white hair blazed in the light of the full moon, and her features looked softer from this distance. She appeared to be frowning up at the white ball of light. Seirei heard her exhale gently.

"Seirei, if you're going to just stand there and stare at me, then leave." she said.

Seirei smiled scarcely, and crawled up onto the roof beside her.

"Oto-sama made me kill Saikou-sensei." Kirai stated.

Seirei's brow scrunched together worriedly. "That's awful..." She put her arm around the younger girl, and bit her lip to keep herself from asking the question on the tip of her tongue. The unspoken inquiry hovered between them.

'Are you okay?'

Kirai heard the question in the air as if Seirei had actually asked it.

"I'm _fine_." she snapped, and Seirei flinched away slightly. Kirai covered her mouth. "I'm sorry. I'm not mad at _you_."

Seirei nodded. "It's alright. I know."

Kirai looked at the city below, while Seirei stared up at the stars.

"Seirei...am I scary? Are you afraid of me?" Kirai asked softly.

Seirei thought for a moment. "Well, sometimes." she admitted.

Kirai looked at her. "Why not all the time, like everybody else?"

Seirei smiled a closed-mouth smile at her, jade eyes reflecting the moon perfectly.

"Because you're my sister and I love everything about you." she said warmly.

Kirai searched her eyes for a lie, and found none. She leaned the back of her head against her sister's shoulder. They both looked at the moon, and at the reflection off of the sand that lay beyond the Village. It dazzled their eyes, and eventually Kirai was forced to look away. She chose to look back down at the buildings again.

"You don't have to love everything. It's okay to hate some things..." Kirai said softly.

Seirei looked down at her questioningly.

"And if you are afraid...it's okay to run away. You don't have to stay every single time I frighten you. It's okay to run away from me sometimes, to hate me sometimes..." Kirai concluded. Then she closed her eyes and leaned her whole weight against her half-sister.

Seirei held onto her, and let her own eyes travel back up to the moon.

'But I can't leave you... If I don't take care of you, Kirai-chan, then who will?' she thought grimly.

Kirai latched her fingers into a strand of hair and opened her eyes. She scowled.

"You keep your hair almost as long as that witch." she complained.

Seirei cocked her head to the side, and a breeze picked up, sending her hair flowing to her left, away from Kirai and out of her hands. It drifted like living snakes twisting and turning in their nest, though noone could liken Seirei to a snake in any way.

"Actually, I'm keeping it as long as oka-sama...I didn't mean for it to get ask long as Michiko-hime's." she said apologetically.

"...It's okay..." Kirai said.

The silence that followed was long and still, the calm hollowed out with unspoken words and restless dreams.

:-:

**A/N: This story will be on permanent hiatus. Details will be posted in Chapter 4. I decided to put up _Hokori _because birdsarentfree7 took it off her account and I want to keep it up. **


	2. Chapter 2

**:-:-:-:****Chapter Two****:-:-:-:**

**:-:-:****Philanthropy****:-:-:**

The sand swirled in little spirals on the surface of the empty streets, the rooftops, everything, burying them under a thin layer of sand, as far as the eye could see in the pale, faint moonlight. The moon itself was slowly sinking into the horizon, making way for the yellow sun to make its appearance into the sky.

A small figure looked out from the window that was thrown wide open of her small room, staring out into the brightening sky, her dark circles under her eyes against her pale, white skin a clear sign of her insomnia. Her eyes fell down to her pale wrists, her veins of blood visible under her nearly translucent skin. It seemed as if the slightest touch with a sharp edge would send her blood bursting out of her body.

But that was not true. It was impossible for her to bleed. She grimaced, and then blinked her eyes to clear the sand that had blown in with the cold wind through the window and into her eyes. It was cold, the coldness that was right before dawn, when everything had been cooled by the night, without the warmth from the sun.

'What fragile things human beings are,' she grimly thought. 'How red they bleed.' Never in her life had she ever felt the pain of a wound. i_Never./i_ She stopped her train of thought suddenly. _It_ had spoken to her again. Clutching her fists, Kirai furiously shook her head, trying to clear her head of the dangerous thoughts.

At times, she had not been able to, and they leaked out, filling her mind and body. An image of the witch, Michiko, formed into her head, blinding her vision.

'Come on,' she thought, 'we can destroy her easily, no more pesky, woman-witch.'

"No," she growled defiantly, even though she wanted so much to, to just stain her hands red with the blood of that witch.

'Why not?' she thought again, "then she will be out of our way and we will never have to see her again.'

"No!" Kirai nearly screamed, shaking her head.

'Yes,' _it _insisted, persistently, "yes."

"Ye--" Kirai nearly said yes, but stopped when she saw Seirei's pleading face looking at her, her bright eyes piercing Kirai's dull ones.

The moment was tense as Kirai clutched her hands at her sides, straining not to give in. "No," she finally whispered, "Seirei would be sad at me."

There were no more thoughts anymore.

Kirai turned away from the window and faced her closed door. She slowly walked towards it and gently laid her small hand against the doorknob. To her surprise, she found that the door opened, out into the long hallway outside her door. She smiled and stepped out into the dark hallway.

:-:

Michiko stared at the plain ceiling above her bed. In the dim light, she could barely see the faint lines of the uneven paint, crisscrossing above her head.

She was angry. A feeling that slowly bubbled up inside her, slowly, over the days. Michiko truly hated Kirai. 'I should be the only one to occupy Taiki-sama's mind!' she furiously thought, and scrunched the bed sheets under her hands tightly, causing her knuckles to turn white.

Abruptly, she stopped and let go of the sheets. 'Well,' she thought, 'At least the brat's birthday is in a week. That is when she will die.'

Michiko laughed suddenly at that statement. What was she thinking? Of course that no one so stupid and gullible like Haruki possibly be able to kill Kirai.

Michiko admitted, however, that it would be fun trying, and watching Haruki fail. 'Perhaps,' she mused, and smiled, falling into a light sleep of lustful dreams.

:-:

A frown was on her face as she watched Michiko's sleeping form, her face with a look that Kirai so disliked. Her hand involuntarily twitched, and she felt a sense of bloodlust creep into her body and the stirring of the being that lived in her.

_No!_ She furiously shook her head and turned away from the cracked doorway of her father's bitchy wife, who everyday adorned herself with clinking jewelry and suffocating make-up.

She walked away from Michiko's room, her bare feet padded down the hallway, straining not to lose her control and go back to kill her, and stopped in front of another doorway which she opened the door to, quietly peeking in.

Laying in the bed at the far end of the room, near the window with the slightly parted curtains, was Seirei, her face peaceful in sleep. Her tanned skin seemed to be glowing from the look in the dark room, and her long, black hair fanned out from under her head.

'Like that woman-witch that oto-sama married,' Kirai thought.

'No,' another answer formed into her mind, 'not like the woman-witch, Seirei's oka.' Only sadness was shown on her face, the sadness that showed that she had never known her own mother. 'And my oka-san left me.'

Her mind wandered back to a small picture frame in her room, showing her own mother, which reminded her of Seirei's mother. But she had betrayed her, left her alone, with only Seirei to be with her. _iSeirei/i,_ her half-sister, the only one who was not afraid of her.

Slowly, Kirai walked into her older half-sister's room and kneeled next to her bed. She brushed a strand of black hair from Seirei's face and watched her peaceful breathing. Another small strand of her hair fell into her face, blowing with Seirei's breathing.

Timidly, Kirai leaned in and lightly kissed Seirei on the cheek, surprised by her own action.

Seirei's green eyes fluttered open. "Kirai-chan?" she whispered, blinking at Kirai's hovering face, "Is that you?"

Kirai fell back in surprise, landing on her behind and onto a soft carpet that was placed near Seirei's bed. The carpet was soft, and pleasant to feel, almost as soft as a goose feather bed.

"Kirai-chan?!" Seirei exclaimed, sitting up, no longer asleep, her hair cascading down he back like a long black waterfall, "what are you doing here? I thought that you were sleeping."

Kirai glared at Seirei, who suddenly realized what she had said.

"Oh," Seirei leaned back, bracing her back against the head board of her bed. Kirai only looked at her for a long time. A long silence passed between them. "Kirai-chan, Oto-sama will be mad if you are not in your room," Seirei finally said, breaking the silence that hung over them like a heavy drape.

Saying nothing, Kirai looked away from Seirei, afraid of the way that she felt. "I felt i_sad/i_," was Kirai's sudden response.

"Kirai-chan," Seirei said, surprised, "I'll always be here for you, I promise." She smiled and held her arms open to embrace Kirai. Uncertainly, Kirai met her embrace, and leaned against her half sister, feeling the human warmth of her body.

"Do you promise that you will stay with me forever?" She whispered, looking up into Seirei's bright eyes.

"Of course!" Seirei promised, "I promise."

"Thank you," Kirai murmured, and closed her eyes.

Seirei sighed and gently stroked her younger sister's short white hair. "I will stay with you forever."

:-:

"Mingmei," Taiki whispered, staring at a small locket which he held in his hand. The locket was a soft, silvery colour, perhaps made of some type of metal. It had a small set of hinges which opened the locket. Inside the silvery locket was a small picture the smiling face of a young woman, laughing in the rain of softly falling cherry blossoms.

Each cherry blossom was a soft pink colour, standing bright against her dark hair, even in the small image. Her softly tanned skin went along well with her bright black eyes, which showed only happiness in their gaze.

Why, Taiki could almost even hear her voice laughing at him in the distance. He snapped the locket shut.

_"Taiki-san? That's your name?" She asked, laughing and twirling around in the cherry blossoms, sending her long hair flying around in wild circles, like a long flowing silk cape, "Really?"_

_Taiki nodded, unsure of what else to say. _

_"Well," the girl said, "My name's Mingmei! Nice to meet you!" She stopped twirling and held her hand out to him. "Let's be friends!" Uncertainly, Taiki took her hand, which was very small and soft in comparison to his large and callused hands. Mingmei giggled and let go, prancing away._

_"Come on!" She urged to Taiki, "It's wonderful to dance among the falling flowers, you should do it, too!" _

_Taiki scratched his head. "Well," he answered, but was cut off by Mingmei._

_"You should have more fun in your life!" _

Smiling at the memory, Taiki dropped the locket against his neck, feeling secure with the weight of the metal resting against his chest. _Mingmei _the name brought Taiki so many wonderful memories flooding into his head.

_Mingmei _the name of Seirei's mother. And Seirei looked exactly like her mother, with her warm smile, lightly tanned skin, and long, flowing black hair that looked like black silk. Which was why he could not look at her.

He shook away the troubling memories from his head that threatened to take over. He did not want to relive those memories-- they brought him too much sadness.

A sadness that only Mingmei and her warm, happy smile could cure.

He shook his head again and gazed to his window, the curtains leaving a small crack to reveal the beginning of a brightening sky, small pink and orange flames lighting the clouds on fire.

The new day was going to be long, he knew, with his pestering new wife and the everlasting worry that Kirai would kill her. Kirai had killed many of his other wives, the ones who were terrified of her or angered her. She had already killed three of his ten wives.

But it never bothered Taiki. Only Mingmei's death had taken away the sparkling joy from his eyes. Every other one of his wives were just playthings for him, none of real importance. He had thought that he had found another that and he i_thought_/i he loved, but she was a traitor to him, nothing like who he thought she was, not like her sister.

Taiki brushed away the thoughts of his numerous wives and started getting dressed, even though it was quite early in the morning. He could not sleep any more, in fear that he would dream to relive his memories.

He pulled on his linen undershirt and proceeded to find his robe.

_"I'll stay with you forever!" Mingmei declared, laughing at Taiki's proposal, "I will!" _

_Taiki smiled, bowing his head to Mingmei's carefree laughter. That was what she always said. __**"I'll stay with you forever!" **_

_"Forever," Taiki whispered, then laughed along with Mingmei, the carefree soul that stolen his heart. _

_**From dawn to sunset, from day to day,**_

_**I wish to be with you forever.**_

_**You are my savior**_

_**You are half my soul.**_

_**I promised **_

_**And you promised**_

_**To stay with each other for all eternity.**_

_**If only things could stay the way they are**_

_**Forever. **_

_**Then I will be happy. **_

_**Then I will rest at ease. **_

_**Forevermore.**_

It was the way they all wished it was.


	3. Chapter 3

**:-:-:-: ****Chapter Three: Part One**** :-:-:-:**

**:-:-: ****Internecine**** :-:-: **

Kirai drifted into wakefulness, resisting the urge to yawn, for the simple purpose of annoying herself. It would set her off just a little. She enjoyed the background music of anger. It kept her on the edge and, in this case, awake. Kirai felt best a touch angry.

'Even with Seirei,' she noticed. 'Even with Seirei I'm not completely calm.'

She sat up slowly, letting her body temperature come up a few degrees before moving any further. Kirai had decided to sleep with her windows wide open, and regretted it now. A little cold was fine, she despised the normally scorching heat that hung over Sunakagure like an invisible cloud. But this, this was a bone-jarring blow to her system.

Kirai poked her head out the window. It was still much too early for most people to be awake. Two figures, too far away to discern their gender or features, were running around in circles, chasing each other. Kirai watched them for a few minutes, leaning further and further out the window.

'Children,' she decided.

The two ran around a little longer before collapsing to the ground. Kirai strained her ears, and heard the soft sound of laughter before the wind changed direction, carrying the sound away from her.

She put her chin in her hand and stared up at the sky instead. Nothing interrupted the long stretch of purple-blue. She stood up, hitting her head on the frame and murmuring a few curses.

"Kirai-chan! Are you decent?"

She blinked in surprise. "Yes..." she called back.

Seirei opened the door and looked around. "Jeez, you've let this place become a mess..." she said, wringing her hands. She hurriedly arranged a few books on her shelf.

Kirai yawned uncaringly. "So?"

Dark green eyes blinked at her. "Don't you worry at all what people think of you?"

Kirai avoided the question. "It's cold." she complained.

Seirei snorted. "It's your own fault, isn't it? You shouldn't've left the window open. Common sense." she scolded.

Kirai smiled slightly. Things were usually like this. Their arguments were mostly as soft and comfortable as the rare cloud that passed over the Village Hidden in the Sand. Seirei glanced at her while folding a sheet. She smiled back, and then went back to her frenzied rush around the room, tidying everything she could. When she had finished, she put her hands on her hips and admired the fruits of her labor.

"So much better." she sighed in relief.

Kirai rolled her eyes. She couldn't understand her half-sister's desperate need for cleanliness. If you could find what you needed, what was the point of making it look nice?

"...Kirai-chan?" Seirei finished.

Kirai shook her head, she hadn't heard the first part of the sentence. "Eh?"

Seirei laughed. "What do you want for your birthday, Kirai-chan?" she repeated.

Kirai put her arms behind her head and looked out the window. "I want the witch to leave." she said bluntly. "She's ruining my mood. Why'd oto-sama marry _her_ anyway?"

Seirei shrugged. "Because he was in love with her?"

Kirai was the one who snorted now. "You honestly believe that? Has it occurred to you that every woman he marries looks more and more like your oka-sama?" she said. She looked out the window. "Love!" she spat.

Seirei bit her lip. "Why do you get so angry when I mention that word?"

"Because it's one of the biggest lies anyone can tell?" Kirai snapped. "Tell me, Seirei, have you ever seen anything good come out of that stupid sentence? _'I love you'? _It's just a load of crap. Nobody can love. They can only manipulate and use each other!"

Seirei took a step back. "Kirai-chan..."

"You know I'm right!" Kirai snarled, her temper beginning to flare. Seirei was showing weakness!

"That's not true..." Seirei said, beginning to cry. "I don't see why you have to be so negative about something that wonderful!"

Kirai held her breath and stared determinedly at the sky.

"So you're saying you don't believe me when I tell you that?" Seirei said, her brow furrowing.

"No!" Kirai shot back, only thinking of releasing the bitterness building up in her chest. How _dare_ Seirei show weakness like Michiko! She was supposed to be strong! She was supposed to be someone Kirai could lean onto, who could bear the weight no matter how many troubles she dumped on her. But this! She had just let go of one of her biggest peeves, and here she was, tears streaming down her face!

Kirai stared hatefully at her now. Seirei took another step back, eyes wide and fearful. It was taking all of Kirai's willpower not to kill her where she stood.

"Go away!" she finally stated. "I hate it when people look at me like that! I hate _you_!"

Seirei took a tentative step forward. A burst of sand shot forward and hit her in the chest.

"_Go away!!_"

Kirai slammed the door, leaning up against it to keep her from coming back in. There was hard pounding on the door.

"Kirai-chan! Open the door! Open the door this _instant_!"

Kirai strained her muscles to keep Seirei from forcing the door open. She fumbled with the lock, and eventually forced it down, making an extremely satisfying thunking sound. She folded her arms and watched the door, confident the girl on the other side would eventually give up. Her prediction came true after several minutes, and she listened while Seirei gave one last blow to the door before sliding down and sitting next to it.

"Didn't I say to go away?" Kirai said, without any real threat attached.

"I'm not leaving until you come out." Seirei's voice said, slightly muffled by the thick wooden door.

"You're going to be waiting a long time." Kirai stated, laying down on her bed.

"You'll get hungry sometime!"

"I've got stuff to eat in here." Kirai lied smoothly. She wanted the older girl to leave, to go find something better to do. She wanted a little time to be alone, and possibly to get more sleep.

Seirei grunted something incomprehensible. Kirai sighed.

"I don't want to hear you right now. Just go away." she said angrily.

She knew she was being selfish, but then, she had always been selfish. Kirai was used to getting what she desired, though Taiki's wives were an exception. This included the actions of those around her. She could usually threaten people into behaving the way she wanted. Seirei was indisputably the most stubborn. Occasionally she had the conscience to feel guilty about her disregard for Seirei's feelings, but she could easily ignore it.

Seirei didn't answer, and Kirai didn't bother her any further.

The silence grew duller and duller. Kirai began to feel tired. She drifted off.

:-:

Michiko paced restlessly around her room, nothing covering her but a nearly-transparent sheet.

'Tomorrow's her birthday. I hope Haruki-kun knows what he's doing...'

Rukito pulled his shirt back on, watching the woman carefully.

"Michiko-hime? Is something troubling you?" he asked.

She shook herself and turned back to him without modesty. She let the sheet hang looser about her, and kissed his forehead.

"No, Rukito-kun. Nothing's wrong." she said. She stood up straight again, and put her finger to her lower lip, swaying suggestively as she walked away.

She looked at him over her shoulder.

"Come back the night after tomorrow?" she asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why not tomorrow?"

Michiko sweated. She couldn't possibly tell him about tomorrow night's plans. She scrambled through her brain for excuses to keep him happy.

"Well..." she finally said, "between you, Haruki-kun, and Naoki-kun...I can't be mean, can I?"

Rukito scowled. "I suppose not."

Michiko looked at him, feeling even more nervous. She placed her hands on his shoulder.

"Don't leave just yet." she said soothingly.

:-:

Kirai scratched her nose and stared out of her window. There wasn't much to see in the sky, except for the varying shades of blue. She stared into the sand instead, although it hurt her eyes. A mirage danced in the distance, an enormous body of water. She had only seen the ocean in illustrations, but she imagined it would look something like what was in front of her now.

Kirai shook her head, trying to dismiss the illusion. It held. She scowled. It was only reminding her of her thirst.

But, no! She would _not_ be the first person to give in! She refused to be! Seirei would leave first, and then she could run for water.

Seirei knocked on the door again.

"You're being ridiculous, Kirai-chan. Just come out! You must be dying in there..."

"No! I don't want to!"

Seirei sighed deeply. Sometimes, Kirai could be so childish.

"Kirai-chan...you're acting like a little kid..."

Kirai stuck out her tongue at the door, which she assumed her sister was standing behind.

"Mleh!" she answered.

:-:

The rising sun was as sharp as a sword, cutting through Kirai's fitful sleep. She awoke, panting. She was not sure what she was so afraid of, but she now felt terrified.

She rubbed her forehead, trying to rid herself of the chilling sensations that racked her body, but they refused to go away. Nothing could chase the feelings out of her, besides Seirei. She ran to the door and unlocked it with fevered urgency, opening it so quickly it nearly ripped off of it's hinges.

Seirei jolted into wakefulness at the calamity, listening as Kirai ran like the devil himself was at her heels, tripping twice. The second time she fell, she stopped walking, in favor of crawling like a toddler to her door. It flew open as violently as the first, and Seirei sat upright, and opened her arms, knowing already what Kirai needed.

Kirai leapt onto her bed and settled her head, whimpering pitifully, on Seirei's shoulder. The nine-year-old was alarmed by something, but Seirei never knew any more about these morning fits, for Kirai refused to speak of them later, sometimes denying they had even occurred.

Seirei wrapped her arms around her, stroking her sister's hair and whispering that everything would be okay.

But it wouldn't be, she knew. The same thing would happen again, sooner or later. For every time Kirai awoke unaffected, three affected days would follow. It was frightening to watch, as if the terror inside of Kirai traveled to Seirei, like a disease passed by their close contact.

'She is so weak...' Seirei thought to herself. 'For all her strength in battle, she is weak...weaker than anyone...this poor, weeping girl.'

Kirai pushed her back a little, still clutching her slender shoulders.

"I'm sorry..." she murmured. "I'm sorry for getting angry..."

Seirei blinked, then remembered the fight on the previous day.

"Oh. That's alright." she said. "I'm used to it." she couldn't help adding. Despite her knowledge that it wasn't really Kirai's fault, she couldn't help but feel bitter after their fights. Upset. Every time Kirai came to her, she comforted her, and was friendly, and helped her with whatever it was that she needed.

She loved Kirai so much...she had become her purpose for living. To protect this sad, lonely little girl.

'I love her. Why can't she love me _back_?' she thought acrimoniously.

Kirai hugged her again, and she was pulled out of her meditations. She put her arms around her younger half sibling again.

The past years were all a blur to Seirei. They had moved quickly and quietly, a mixture of fights and tears and forgiveness. Few events stood out in her memory. Was that numbness good or bad? Seirei could never decide.

It made life much less complicated, for worries had to fight their way through the thick shell that had begun to enshroud her mind. She was rolled into a small ball, inside of an egg from which she never wished to hatch. In here, it was safe. She could protect Kirai, and continue existence.

An empty existence, but a sustaining one.

Seirei let go of Kirai, excusing herself to get dressed.

As she dressed herself, she stared out the picture windows surrounding her chamber.

That had always been enough. Nothing would ever change. That was the beauty.

She opened the door to a waiting Kirai.

"Happy birthday, Kirai-chan!" she said.

This beautiful scripted life.

:-:

**:-:-:-:****Chapter Three: Part Two**** :-:-:-:**

**:-:-: ****Internecine****:-:-:**

Kirai shuffled her feet in distress. She knew a great deal less than half of the people that had gathered to attend the birthday of Taiki's youngest daughter.

There was a ridiculously tall bearded man sitting next to her father, with a wide, toothy grin upon his face, who had strayed uncomfortably near to Seirei every chance he got. Even now he eyed her from across the table. Kirai glared at him before returning her stare to the cage in front of her.

Inside was a squirming, restless rat, which was darting about the cage in as much a panic as she was. It had one blind eye, and a long wormy tail that Kirai wondered what would feel like to touch.

Many other men and women, all adorned in expensive clothes, from many different countries, sat around her, watching expectantly. Kirai wasn't sure what they were all waiting for. She bunched up her kimono under the table.

A woman with her face powdered to a ghostly white nodded at her. Taiki imitated the gesture. Kirai only felt more confused. Was she supposed to do something with this unusual creature?

The man with the beard coughed politely.

"Show us, Kunai-hime." he said, saying her name wrong for the third time this evening.

"Show what?" Kirai managed to ask.

The nobles chuckled amongst themselves.

"Kill it, Kirai." Taiki ordered.

Kirai's single showing eye widened hugely.

"But why?"

"Do it."

Seirei stared down at her lap. She knew she couldn't say anything now, or Taiki's reputation would be compromised. All of these officials had arrived for an entertaining spectacle.

Kirai looked at every face, searching for signs of pity or friendliness. She was unsuccessful, for even her elder sister's face was turned to the ground. She stared mournfully at the rat.

She had no qualms about killing her teachers when her father ordered it so. They annoyed her to no end. But animals were different. They were...helpless. Kirai couldn't stand the frightened squeaks of the rat as it darted around it's cage.

The white-haired girl bit her lip. How could she possibly kill it? The rat suddenly ceased it's running, and lifted itself onto it's hind legs intelligently, as if understanding. It scampered towards the side of it's cage, staring intently at Kirai.

She lifted her hand, closing her eyes and whispering the words the voice in her mind had taught her years ago.

"Sabakakyu..." she murmured.

The rat made desperate squealing noises, thrashing and writhing in the air as it was lifted by the cloud of sand. Seirei clenched her teeth, forcing herself not to look up. She couldn't afford to make Kirai stop now. She tried to block out the sounds of the rat's body being crushed as Kirai muttered the final command.

"Sabasosu..."

The blood speckled the wood of the table, like a grotesque rain. Kirai stood up.

"I want to go to bed." she said curtly.

Michiko nodded towards one of the masked ANBU standing around the entrances. No one noticed as a certain brown-haired boy left the scene.

Seirei stood.

"I will be retiring as well, oto-sama." she apologized, running after Kirai.

The bearded man sighed almost inaudibly. Taiki raised an eyebrow at him. He was an official from the Village Hidden in the Smoke, of no real importance. Did he truly believe that he could have Seirei?

Seirei raced across the streets. Kirai had been much more upset than she appeared. Who _knew_ what she would do under these conditions. She didn't bother calling her name. She knew she wouldn't respond.

There were no lights on in the city, despite the early hour. It was a wish of Taiki's that the city remain dark after nightfall. This seemed unreasonable to Seirei, who could never figure out why this was so.

She ran faster, bare feet slapping against the dirt, long black hair sailing behind her. The starlight was her only guide, on this night of the full moon, making her jade green eyes glow with determination. _Where was Kirai?_

She glanced around corners, afraid she might be missing her for every turn she didn't take, doubling back after dead ends and scouring every dark corner with her hands. She eventually climbed up a wall, heaving herself onto a rooftop.

Here, she was unprotected from the hot winds, which stung her cheeks and tangled her hair about her face. She ripped off part of her kimono sleeve, and tied her hair with it, only increasing her vision by a little, as flecks of sand needled their way into her eyes. She grunted in frustration. It was half impossible to see.

Over the roar of the wind, she never heard the footsteps from behind her until the last moment.

She spun around, to see nothing but darkness, and the rooftop. She dismissed it as a pigment of her imagination.

It set her off, however. She stood, tensed and frightened, unsure of what to do next. Something landed to her right, and she whirled towards it, too quickly for it to disappear this time.

She saw a flash of brown hair, and intense ice-blue eyes, before something sharp slashed at her left arm. She cried out in pain, clutching the injured limb, before feeling a strike at her hip.

Her attacker would no longer let her see his face. He did not intend to kill her quickly. He struck in places he knew would cause the greatest pain, brutally stabbing her in areas where she would not die. She screamed into the night, but no one heard, over the scream of the wind.

The attacks stopped after a few minutes, and, no longer supported by the striking sword, she collapsed, cold sweat freezing her even as her warm blood spilled about her in plain view.

He stepped upon her arm. She could not muster the strength to even cry out from the pain. Anguish was etched into her still-bright green eyes, which stared up at him desperately.

He caught sight of those eyes, and gulped. The sparkle there was enchanting, and full of unconditional compassion. He hesitated, but only momentarily, before putting his full weight upon the arm he stood on, smirking as a sharp cracking noise cut through the air.

Seirei tried to scream, but by now her mouth was filled with blood. There was nothing left but darkness. She slipped out of consciousness.

With the judging, childlike eyes hidden by her delicate, now-pale eyelids, the man wasted no time for enjoyment any longer. He ran his sword through her heart, a sure, clean kill.

Haruki nudged her head with his foot. More blood trickled out of a wound upon her forehead. Stone dead.

He squatted down beside her, leaning on his sword, cleaning it on her kimono while he waited for the moon to get lower in the sky. He had to bring the body when no one but Michiko would be there to see.

Haruki ran his gloved hand along the girl's cheekbone. She was plenty beautiful herself, it was hard to believe she was only ten years old...He planted a gentle kiss on her bleeding forehead. Some droplets stuck to his lips.

Ever the sadist, Haruki licked them off. He grinned in approval.

"Delicious."

:-:

**:-:-:-:****Chapter Three: Last Part****:-:-:-:**

**:-:-:****Internecine****:-:-:**

Haruki scooped up the corpse in his arms and sprinted back.

Oh, Michiko would _love _him for this one. He smirked to himself as he ran. She would _worship_ him for ridding her of this nuisance.

:-:

Michiko was stretched, cat-like, across her seat, a glass of wine held delicately in her other hand. He dress rode high on her hips, and her head rested on the arm of the chair, making her the picture of ease. She sipped the wine while regarding the genin opposite her.

He made a move to come towards her, when Michiko grabbed his collar and slammed her lips into his.

Naoki grinned stupidly after she released him. He had been the first one Michiko had taken as her plaything. Naoki knew he was being used, but, being fourteen and developing an enormous curious side to him, liked to pretend.

Michiko chugged the rest of the alcohol ungracefully, splashing a little onto herself. She licked the tiny amount that had collected at the bottom right out of the glass.

The clatter of footsteps upon stone announced someone's entrance. Michiko and Naoki's head snapped up, scrutinizing the intruder.

It was Haruki, his ANBU uniform spattered in blood. He held a woman with her hair tied up in a cloth, clad in a simple blue kimono.

Michiko dropped her wine glass to the floor, feeling tiny shards of glass shoot up and nick her wrist afterward.

Naoki stared at the body in alarm.

"_Seirei-hime?!_"

Michiko's eyes darted to the blond genin. She grabbed the bottle of wine and smashed it into the back of his head. He crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

Haruki tugged at the white cloth binding Seirei's hair, watching, horrified, as her long black locks cascaded towards the ground.

"The wrong one!" Michiko half-screeched. "How the _hell_ could you have killed the wrong one?!"

Haruki dropped Seirei's corpse in shock. Michiko swallowed, staring at it nervously. Seirei's jade green eyes stared up at them, shining in the moonlight. For a moment, she looked nearly alive.

Beads of persperation rolled down Michiko's forehead.

"Hide it." she choked out.

Haruki remained frozen.

Completely disregarding the fact that if Taiki were to awake, he would be able to hear them from his room beside her chamber, Michiko screeched, "Hide her body!"

The ANBU swallowed, unwilling to touch Seirei's eerily-contorted body. When it had been Kirai he believed he was killing, he had felt pure joy upon taking her life. Now that he knew her identity, he felt revulsion.

He had liked the green-eyed girl. Everyone who met her had. Her kindly nature drew people in like moths to a flame. She had gathered many friends just by looking into their eyes. Immediately you felt like the only person in the room. Her eyes seemed to say _It's alright. I'm listening. You fascinate me. Come, tell me what's wrong._

And they **had**come. By the dozen. When she was not with Kirai, often she would be sitting down, on the floor, on a dining chair, on a stone, her hands clasped in her lap, staring intently at someone as they told her their problems. While she didn't always have the answer, just telling such a person immediately made you feel as if an enormous weight was lifted from your shoulders.

Haruki picked her up gingerly. He took two fingers, and gently shut her eyelids.

The sands outside of the Village swallowed her corpse like a mother embracing her child. Wind blew faster and faster until she was covered in a thick layer of dust.

He stood vigil for a second time before returning to Michiko.

She stood directly in front of the door, so that he nearly ran into her.

"Michiko-hime?"

"I have one last order for you, Haruki." she said.

A kunai was in her outstretched palms. She lifted it towards his eyes for him to see.

"No one can know of this. I don't care how you do it, but you can't be found. You must disappear."

Haruki swallowed, but took the kunai.

Michiko heard a soft groan from behind her. She rushed to Naoki's side, lifting his head into her lap and stroking his hair softly.

"Michiko...hime? What happened?" he moaned, clutching his sore forehead where it had hit the table.

"You tripped and knocked yourself unconscious, Naoki-chan." she lied.

"I had the most awful dream that Seirei-hime was murdered..." Naoki said uncertainly.

Michiko's hand fluttered to her mouth in false shock. "That would be horrible! Don't speak of such things, Naoki-chan!"

"I'm sorry, Hime..." he apologized.

But even with Michiko's reassurance, doubts flitted through his brain, like Michiko's shaking, quivering hands...

:-:

Kirai clenched her pillow to her face as if trying to suffocate herself. A full minute passed before she set it down again. She realized she still wore the kimono from when she had fled the dining hall. It was curious that Seirei had not come to her chamber to comfort her. She assumed her elder sister had been forced to stay in the ambassador's company.

The sun was barely coming up over the horizon when she heard the wail echo in the halls.

It was a haunting sound, it ripped through the walls and cut through her like a knife. She winced and dug her nails into the wood frame of her bed as the moan dissolved into feminine sobs. There was a murmur as someone tried to comfort the weeping woman, then a shriek.

"-like my own daughter!"

Kirai shot bolt-upright. That was Michiko's voice. She raced to the source of the sound, halting, breathless, in the doorway.

"Hime, the squad will find her and they will be returned to you..." a servant girl was reassuring the older woman.

For a split second, Michiko's face blanched, then it dissolved into the mask of mourning again.

"Are you _certain_ nothing that could have aided the search was found here? Surely she would leave some sort of warning, with Kirai-chan at least..."

Kirai winced. The witch never called her fondly. What was going on?...

"We're going to re-search Seirei-hime's room, Hime-"

"_What happened to Seirei?! _" Kirai demanded, stepping into the room.

The girl, who Kirai now recognized as Mochi, one of Michiko's favorites, looked up at her in surprise. Her soft brown hair moved in the feline shrug of her shoulders. Gold-green eyes blinked at her.

"Seirei-hime appears to have run off with Haruki-san of the ANBU division."

Kirai, who had been advancing towards them steadily, stopped as if she had crashed into an invisible wall.

"Run...off?" she repeated.

Mochi gave her a condescending smirk. "Kirai-hime, if you do not have an original thought, you should not speak at all."

Kirai clenched her fists. Mochi thought she was so superior, just because she had been servant to both Mingmei and Sun. Taiki favored her, providing absolute protection. Kirai was not allowed to touch.

So Mochi's eyes glinted teasingly, daring her to try anything.

Atrain of thoughts involving crushing Mochi into a thousand tiny fragments of bone was interrupted by a puff of smoke as an ANBU entered the room. He or she kneeled down.

"Hime," and it was a she, "their tracks went as far as the Land of Fire. We may go no further on non-allied lands."

Michiko threw herself to the floor, sobs racking her petite frame. Kirai stared at her uncertainly.

"Seirei...she's...gone?" she said, digging her nails into her palms.

The ANBU glanced at her and bowed respectfully. "I'm afraid so, Kirai-hime."

Kirai's body shook, and small whimpers as she tried to choke back tears escaped her mouth. Michiko looked up, tearstained face sympathetic. A few shots of regret entered her heart like needles. She hadn't expected her to be so pitiful in her mourning.. She resolved to be kinder to Kirai after this.

"But...she...promised to stay...with me forever..." she murmured.

A fist lashed out, striking the ANBU woman in the nose. A squirt of blood and a howl of pain erupted from her as she felt it break. Kirai kicked her in the stomach and thrust her hand forward, a wave of sand following quickly behind. This wrapped about the unfortunate woman, constricting her.

"You're a liar! She promised! Seirei can't leave me! Sabakakyu!" Kirai screamed.

Blood rained down upon her and the other two women now cowering in the corner.

"A_aaaaah!!_ "

She stood on the table and grasped a dish from the dinner the night before. She threw it against the window, which shattered loudly.

"No!!" A wineglass was immediately crushed under her feet. She took no notice of the glass digging into her soles.

"No!!" The table itself was overturned by a powerful heave.

"No, no, no, no, no!!" Kirai shouted.

"Kirai-chan..."

Kirai pivoted on her heel to face Michiko. She pointed her finger harshly at the weeping woman.

The sobs immediately turned into cries of pain as sand crushed her left arm.

Kirai blinked at the sound, suddenly realizing what she had done. She looked around her at the wreckage she had caused. She sank to her knees slowly. Michiko's cries lessened to a groan as she clutched her distorted hand.

Kirai felt herself falling slowly backwards.

Seirei was gone. She had left her for someone else.

Her eyes glistened with tears that would not fall.

She had left her. Seirei belonged to someone else.

Kirai's heels bled, staining her kimono. She stared at the blood blankly.

She was bleeding.

Only yesterday, that would have frightened her terribly. She would have run to Seirei's room on her aching feet and thrown herself into her arms. Seirei would have stroked her hair comfortingly and dressed the wound like Kirai had seen her do with other wounded. And then Kirai would have laughed, and said-

But Seirei wasn't here. Kirai was bleeding alone.

Seirei probably didn't even care.

The thought shot through her heart, searing her like a burning arrow.

One which incited the inferno burning inside of her.

Seirei didn't care if she was bleeding. Haruki was the only thing that mattered to her now.

Kirai's eyes shut, and her head fell against the freezing stone of the floor.

And the hardness sent her into sweet, sweet oblivion...

:-:

"She is perfect. Thank you. You should be honored to be doing such a service for your country."

"It is the least I could do, Hime."

Michiko shoved her finger to her lips. "Do not call me such here!" she hissed.

Two pairs of golden-green eyes blinked at her, one from the heavily-cloaked female in front of her, the other from the child holding her hand.

Michiko winced. "Hold my other hand." she commanded.

The child obediently held her right hand instead. Michiko tucked her shriveled left forearm into her robes.

"Never mind. You have provided well, Mochi." she said. She glanced at the child beside her. "Although her hair is not raven as the other's was."

"That can be easily remedied." Mochi reminded her.

"Indeed."

Mikomi reached a lightly-tanned hand to the sky.


	4. Chapter 4

**:-:-:-:**** Chapter Four****:-:-:-:**

**:-:-:****Despondency****:-:-: **

**The sky cried. **Gray masses of clouds rolled through the heavens releasing their heavy burden onto the dry, hard ground. Ground that greedily soaked up the water, sucking it into its depths savoring every droplet, trying to satisfy its everlasting thirst. Clouds that willingly let go of their burden without remorse.

But, why was the sky able to cry, and not her? Why was it that it was impossible for her to cry at all, even when she had the taste of despair on her tongue?

There were no answers to those questions, as far as Kirai knew. She let the wet droplets of water fall down her face, soaking her down to the bone, sending cold shivers up her spine. This was how she liked it. The feel of wakefulness, of the cold penetrating her very being, and yet numbing her body at the same time. She sneezed.

Her now wet and muddy feet trudged through the muck that was once dry dirt. The rain hit her with icy cold pellets, and yet she still felt nothing. Her fingers were cold, she realized, but she didn't care. Her soaked, stark white hair blinded her eyesight, but she didn't care.

She faced her father.

"Be still now, Kirai," Taiki said in a soft, dangerous voice, "you wouldn't want to ruin the surprise gift that Mochi has so kindly provided us?"

There was silence, except for the falling water that cascaded from the sky. It was a lulling sound that filled the heavy silence that held between them. Kirai did not care what her father said; she did not care of his dull and empty words that meant nothing to him. And certainly, this was only empty.

_A gift from the woman-witch's faithful dog-servant. _She gave no _gifts. _

Kirai looked impassively at the soaking ground. Tiny holes appeared here and there, created by falling water, but they were quick to disappear from one of the many streams running through the ground crisscrossing beneath her feet. They were all so intricate and Kirai looked onto them with her stinging eyes, looking for more detail.

Taiki was sitting comfortably under a sheltered alcove in the wall of the courtyard, wearing many robes, sheltering him from the cold rain. No rain touched the man Kirai was supposed to know as father. There was no sheltered alcove for Kirai.

There was a louder splashing noise from behind Kirai. "It comes," Taiki murmured.

No movement came from Kirai, save for a flicker of her eyes to the spot behind Taiki. She almost half expected to see Seirei wrapped in many layers of clothing, shivering, yet still managing to smile at Kirai, her warm smile telling Kirai that everything would be alright. A warmth that Kirai had never felt again.

And yet, Seirei was not there. She had left her, even when she had said that she would stay with her forever. She had left her for a man Kirai did not know of. How many times were there, when Kirai had searched in vain throughout the house, searching, only to remember the painful moment in which she felt a gaping hole tear through her heart at the memory of that day?

She clenched her jaw, the rain now falling unnoticed around her. Taiki barely moved. "Kirai," Taiki's cold voice cut through the rain, "I wish you to fight. Turn." His voice was commanding, yet duller than ever, as if he was under a spell.

Willingly, Kirai turned. If it was only a few years ago that Taiki had ordered her to do something, she would have immediately disobeyed and threatened him. But she no longer did that. She was tired, and the rain was losing its power.

Slowly, her eyes traveled up from the muddy ground to the human standing before her. Kirai could not make much of the "_gift_." A heavy dark brown hood hid the person's face, along with a heavy cloak that surrounded the rest of their body. Kirai sneezed again; she had no interest in the stranger.

"I am here to fight the alleged daughter of the Kazekage, Kirai," a clear, light voice stated, which immediately revealed the "_gift_" to be a girl. Kirai showed no interest on her face. How many times had she ever heard that sentence spoken to her before?

Taiki showed no expression, his eyes dull and sickly. "Then fight her," he answered, his voice losing his edge, yet still commandingly, "she stands there before you."

The girl let no moment pass from the time the statement left Taiki's lips. Kirai made no move to defend herself as the girl attacked. A wall of wet sand met the charge of the girl, stopping her short. In her hands, Kirai tightly held a sandy pot, its cork lying on the ground, perhaps dropped there long before.

Kirai stared blankly at the girl licking the blot of crimson blood that had formed on her hand from the impact of the sand. A lock of long, onyx black hair fell out from beneath the girl's hood.

"Is this all the powerful Kirai-sama is capable of?" The girl mockingly asked. There was not even a flinch from Kirai. She did not care of this insignificant human's words. "Please," the girl said, "do something than block my every attack." Kirai's ears twitched, feeling as if the voice was familiar, and yet largely distorted.

Ignoring the girl's words, Kirai did not move as she came in again, splashing through the thick mud and blinding rain that came so rarely to their desert world.

Again, the sand shielded Kirai from the blows of the girl. The girl was insignificant to Kirai. Tilting her head skywards and ignoring the humans around her, Kirai let the cold droplets of water sting her eyes. She was growing bored of this pointless battle. She wanted to find her solitary place, far, far away, and watch the sky cry, feeling ever so jealous of how it relieved its burden so easily.

Nimbly, the girl dodged the unexpected missile, landing not three feet from where Kirai stood. Shining jade eyes met with Kirai's stinging violet ones. Kirai stepped back in surprise, not expecting the shot of familiarity from the one look the girl gave her. The girl with the shiny jade eyes took that as a cue to attack the surprised Kirai, leaping forth with a kunai and nicking her cheek drawing a line of red. It stung as the warm blood oozed out of her wound. She hadn't bled in so long. If Seirei had been there, she would have made them stop, or soothed Kirai.

An angry wave of sand met the girl, throwing her back. Taiki watched through the torrents of rain, his black and jade eyes half closed and glazed. It was unusually cold to him and everything seemed to his as a dream.

Wet muck sprayed everywhere from the girl's impact, hitting Kirai's cold face. She didn't even flinch as Kirai walked over to the imprisoned girl. Her shiny jade eyes filled Kirai's mind. She wanted to see the girl's face.

Hard jade eyes met Kirai's gaze again, but this time it was different. The girl's hood had falling back revealing her face and long black hair. Kirai let out a strangled cry and Taiki's eyes flew open in surprise.

:-:

**Michiko watched from a window, high above the wet courtyard, sheltered from the cold rain. **It was getting harder to see outside, but she knew what was to happen and turned away from the window, stretching her shriveled arm out as far as she could. It wasn't very far, it hurt the way her scars stretched out, forever reminding her of Kirai's rage. Michiko laid her hand on the cold glass of the window, but quickly pulled it back from the cold. It was her right arm.

"Your tea is ready, Michiko-hime," Mochi said, bringing Michiko away from her musings. She turned from the window and walked over the soft carpet and towards a large armchair.

A heavy weight pushed Michiko down as she sat on a heavily cushioned armchair and accepted the cup of steaming jasmine tea Mochi offered her. Rain fell even harder onto the rooftop, splattering on the window with cloudy rain. Michiko looked at the swirling steam rising from the cup and took a small sip. Hot searing tea burned its way down her throat. Just like the way her pain seared when her arm was forever scarred by Kirai.

Moments of silence passed and neither Michiko nor Mochi said anything. Wails of wind blew against the shutters. There was a clinking sound of golden chains as Michiko stood.

"Dreary day out today, isn't it?" Michiko asked Mochi, starting a casual conversation, as if nothing was about to happen. She walked to the window again, watching the happenings of the courtyard below. She couldn't see anything from under the layers of cloudy rain mixed with mud.

Mochi walked beside her, her feet making no noise on the soft, furry carpet.

"Indeed, Michiko-hime," Mochi answered, a twinkle in her greenish eyes, a smile playing on her lips, "Indeed."

"Yes, indeed," Michiko responded, "But I think I see a twinkle of blue sky under the gray sky."

"Perhaps," Mochi answered.

Rain splattered against the cloudy surface of the window. The window was cold.

:-:

**Rain blurred Taiki's sight. **He could not see what was happening anymore. His mind felt heavy and he did not want to move from his comfortable alcove protected from the rain. He only heard a startled cry from beyond the curtain of rain.

A hand found its way onto his shoulder. A sad smile greeted him when he turned to see who it was. His eyes flew open in surprise, his mind feeling as if he was floating out in the clouds.

Where there used to be only happiness in her gaze, was replaced by a sad sort of smile. Taiki's metal locket fell from under his robes. She was the same from the photo taken of her back then. Except for her warm smile.

She was bright, as if an angel had descended from the sky. He could smell the chery blossoms from that long day, so long ago. "M-ming...m-mei..." Taiki murmured. "Why do you come back to me?"

The girl did not answer, only smiled, and faded away into the rain. Taiki sat back and stared through the curtain of rain. It was as if she had wanted him to see something.

Beyond the limits of the curtain of rain, two figures were seen.

"S-Seirei..." Kirai gasped in disbelief, her eyes staring into the girl's jade ones. Her face held emotion for the first time since the painful day Seirei disappeared. Kirai's clay pot slipped from her numb fingers, splashing into the ground and rolling away. The firm sand holding _Seirei _lost its grip and the _Seirei _crawled up from under the wet, eroding sand.

Kirai's body, already numb from the cold rain, went even number, as the unbelievable figure stood before her eyes. Her legs shook and she fell to her knees in the watery mud.

"Seirei," Kirai whispered, but her voice was lost through the roar of the rain.

Mixed emotions surged through her body. Longing, hatred, sadness, anger, betrayal, were only some of the feelings that brimmed to fill her mind. Half of her hated Seirei and half of her longed for Seirei to smile at her again. Her eyes were wide and she made no movement as Seirei dropped into the sand next to her.

"Kirai...chan..." _Seirei _said, unfamiliarity woven thickly into her voice, as if the name was being forced. Kirai did not notice.

_Kill her! _Her body strained, but her mind did nothing. She didn't move, only opened her mouth to say Seirei's name again. _Seirei lied to me, _Kirai thought, _Seirei lied, but she came back. _

Kirai studied every part of _Seirei's_ face. Her long, black hair, her tanned skin, and most of all, her shiny jade eyes that lacked something Kirai wanted to see in Seirei's eyes for a long time. But Kirai did not know what she wanted to see in Seirei's eyes, her face. The word for it was long forgotten from Kirai. Seirei's face was now changed, with a different expression on her face. Kirai wanted it to be the way it was before, like it was three years ago, but it wasn't.

"S-Seirei?" Kirai asked, "Wh-why did you l-leave me?" She was shaking, whether from the cold or from the shock, she did not know.

_Seirei_ smiled and pulled Kirai into an embrace, so that Kirai could feel her warmth. "It's okay... Kirai-chan," _Seirei_ said, "I'm... here now."

"I-I've been w-wanting t-to s-see you f-for a-all th-this t-time," Kirai whimpered, "Wh-why d-did y-you l-leave m-me?" Her feeling of hatred and anger was overrun by her feeling of longing and wanting to feel warm again. _Seirei _remained quiet, only stroking Kirai's wet and tangled hair.

"S-Seirei?" Kirai asked again. There was still no response.

A sharp pain exploded into Kirai's side, right where _Seirei's_ hand had been seconds before. Kirai gasped out in pain. Kirai pulled away and she could feel a warmth seep from the pain on her side.

Kirai did not understand what was going on. Why did she suddenly feel her warm blood seeping through a wound in her side? And why, she wondered, was _Seirei_ holding a bloody red kunai which was quickly washed clean by the rain?

"Seirei...?" Kirai whimpered, not knowing what was going on, "Wh-why am I-I in p-pain? Why was there blood on your kunai?"

_Seirei _made no response, only walked through the mud towards Kirai. Kirai only stared with wide eyed at _Seirei _as shestood above her with her kunai, about to be plunged into Kirai. "S-Seirei?"

_**It was raining hard on another day, too, when she had told her something special. Seirei happily sat at the window, staring out and watching the water splash onto everything. Kirai walked up besides her. **_

_**"Seirei?" Kirai asked, tugging on Seirei's skirt, "Why is there so much water falling from the sky?" **_

_**Seirei turned and smiled. Kirai looked back at her with her violet eyes. "Because it's raining," she answered, "But not like the rare, light rains we sometimes get. This is a special rain. It's super rare, and when it comes, it means something special will happen!" **_

_**An unbelieving look came onto Kirai's face. "No it's not!" she childishly retorted, crossing her arms and glaring at Seirei, "That's just a stupid superstition!" Seirei frowned and looked long and hard at Kirai, as if in an unspoken staring contest. Seirei finally blinked her dark green eyes and Kirai looked on triumphantly. **_

_**"Something special WILL happen," Seirei said again, looking back out the window. Kirai came up behind her and put her small hand on the window. She quickly pulled it back.**_

_**The little violet eyed girl stood staring at the window with the splashing rain for a long time. "It's... cold," Kirai finally said, looking down at her hand. Seirei nodded, and kept staring out the window, noting every detail of the wet world outside. These rains were something she enjoyed to watch and hear. **_

_**"It's too loud," Kirai complained, indicating to the sound of the splattering rain on the roof. "Make it stop." Seirei shook her head.**_

_**"Kirai-chan," She started, "listen to the rain. It has a soothing, healing sound to it that we, who live in the desert, hear this luxury only once in a while." Kirai glared at Seirei. **_

_**"Nothing special," she responded, "make it stop." **_

_**Seirei sighed and gave up trying to tell Kirai anything. She was so childish! But then again, Seirei had remembered, Kirai **_**was**_** a child. But at times, it seemed as if she was not. **_

_**Kirai sat onto the ground and glared at Seirei who was looking out the window thoughtfully. She watched as Seirei suddenly jumped up in surprise, as if remembering something. **_

_**"Something special **_**has **_**happened!" Seirei exclaimed, and ran over to a small table where a small plate of cooling kakifurai lay. She lifted the plate and held it out to Kirai. "See?" She said, "Look! I made kakirufurai! Just like Sarukako showed me!" **_

_**There was a silence and Kirai took one of the deep-fried oysters and bit into it. "It's... nice," she finally said. Seirei smiled. Then looked horrified when she dropped one of the oysters onto the ground. She quickly picked it up and started rubbing at the stain in the carpet. Kirai looked on curiously, wondering why Seirei wanted everything to be so clean. **_

_**The stain finally seemed to disappear under Seirei's magic touch. "See? Something special!" Seirei exclaimed, breathless, "Something special will always happen on a very rainy day!" **_

_**They sat that day and ate the deep-fried oysters. **_

_Something special. _Kirai looked at _Seirei _through the rain and watched the descending sharp kunai. Then the sand hit the kunai, sending it flying into the air and landing far away. The slowly eroding sand protected Kirai when _Seirei _attacked her.

Water was streaming down Kirai's face, creating the illusion of tears. Kirai herself did not know if they were tears. This felt worse than anything Kirai knew. She had already felt the pain when Seirei left, but now there was this. Her small moment of happiness was shattered, and she felt more betrayed than every. _Seirei _looked down at Kirai with an expression that Kirai had never seen from her older sister ever before. The pain in her side was nothing to her now, long forgotten. Kirai felt an inferno boiling inside her.

_Seirei _fell back and studied Kirai through the thick rain. It was getting darker, and perhaps the sun was setting, but no one knew. The clouds were blocking out the sky and beyond.

Kirai felt faint as her eyes slowly blurred for reasons to her unknown. "Seirei?" She asked again, her voice barely a murmur, but lost through the stream of rain. _Special things will happen in a rainstorm like this. _Was this special?

In her blurred vision, Kirai saw Seirei move like a serpent, and struck again, with a speed so fast, one could barely see. But the sand knew, and the sand protected Kirai. And then the rain stopped hitting Kirai. A wall of wet sand rolled over her and she felt the rain stop showering her.

Her hand hit something in the mud. It was her clay pot, and Kirai picked it up, clutching it tight, as if it was someone she "loved" dearly. She felt betrayed. Her feeling of betrayal was so strong, she felt as if her body was splitting.

Seirei _lied._

Seirei had _betrayed_ her.

And then Kirai was left alone, with only the sand as company.

It was then she heard the voice she had been ignoring for so long.

_Kill her, _it said to her in silky smooth words, _kill her for her incompetence. _

A hole tore through her heart, hurting like the time she found Seirei gone. A hole that tore through her heart with a piercing arrow.

And she wanted the one responsible for Seirei's absence. _Haruki. _

Kirai's eyes drooped and she felt her anger burst forth. _Seirei _leapt in for another attack, then stopped suddenly when she saw Kirai's eyes. Where there once were dull, violet eyes were now evil yellow eyes surrounded by black, as if belonging to a wild animal.

"_Haruki,_" Kirai growled, "_give me Haruki._"

_Seirei _stepped back, not expecting this to happen. A wave of eroding sand slid over Kirai's arm and up over to her neck, taking shape of a hideously terrifying claw with intricate black designs.

"_Haruki,_" Kirai growled again, "_I want to kill Haruki._" It was as if her voice had its humanity. Her eyes were the eyes of an insane person.

Her claw of sand lashed out at _Seirei, _which was quickly dodged. However, _Seirei _misjudged what would happen and slipped on the slippery mud, splashing hard into the ground. She grunted and rolled out of the way as the clay attacked again. Never had she ever seen something like this. Her eyes traveled skywards and noticed the rain was falling lighter. What one could see only as a blur was now clearer.

And Taiki saw someone he had not seen in a very long time. The cloudiness in his mind felt forgotten as he saw the scene before him when the curtain of rain was lifted. His youngest daughter and the horrible transformation that had taken over her. But the one who he had not seen in a long time, the only one who ever reminded him of his beloved Mingmei. He saw _Seirei_ nimbly dodging the waves of sand and Kirai's terrible claw.

Taiki did not move. The shinobi that were at the edge of the courtyard had seen what was happening and quickly rushed in to the scene. However they were quickly thrown back by Kirai's claw like arm.

"_Seirei!_" Kirai screamed, her inhuman voice vibrating through the courtyard.

:-:

**Michiko heard it from her room above the courtyard and gasped at the scene before her. **

"Mochi!" She screeched, "What is happening!?"

Mochi hurriedly ran to the window and she too, gasped. "M-Michiko-hime! Th-That's Sh-Shukaku!" She pointed to Kirai, whose arm was now not the only part covered in sand.

"I know that!" Michiko snapped at Mochi and stared out the window. Then looked down to Taiki, who she could barely see, although, she thought she saw a look of disbelief on his face. Her gaze quickly turned towards Kirai's prey.

"Mikomi! Why is she trying to kill Kirai?!" Michiko exclaimed, her cup of tea long forgotten, "that is only making it worse!"

"Michiko-hime," Mochi said, "I'm sure that Mikomi-san is only doing what she was ordered to do."

Michiko threw Mochi an annoyed look. "But, that was only in the instance that my husband did not see her! What do you think he would do if he saw his beloved older daughter, who was missing for three years, trying to kill his youngest daughter?!" Mochi did not say anything in reply and nodded.

Tenderly, Mochi opened the window, letting a gust of cold air sweep into the room. She shivered and yelled.

:-:

**"Stop!" **

The shout was heard by all in the courtyard below. But Kirai ignored the shout. Her sand smashed into one of the walls, trying to get at _Seirei. _Upon hearing the shout, _Seirei's _expression changed, as if by magic. Her face suddenly only showed sadness and what looked like "love".

"Kirai-chan," _Seirei_ yelled through the thinning rain, "please stop!"

No one thought anything would happen. High above the courtyard, Mochi had closed the window, and the two women looked down nervously to what would happen.

"Kirai-chan, please!" _Seirei's _voice was heard again, and it was like time had stopped. A wave of eroding sand that was about to hit her just fell to the ground with a splash and the sand surrounding Kirai's arm fell away. Her animal-like eyes turned back to their normal shade of purple.

It was as if Kirai had just snapped out of a dream. Her eyes looked as if they were full of tears, and she gasped out in pain from her wound at her side that her sand had failed to protect her from. "S-Seirei," she whispered, and fell into the mud with a splash.

And then, there was only the lightly falling rain.

:-:

**A/N: Hello there, _Hokori _fans. It's been a long time! However, after this long absence, birdsarentfree7 and I are sad to report (at least I am) that we will no longer be writing this story. However! If any of you would like to continue this story, by all means, do so! Only, please sent me (DaemonChild) a message because I would like to see how you (if anyone wants) would like to write it. **

**But if ya'll don't want to pick up where we left off, 'tis alright. **

**Thanks,**

**DaemonChild**


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